When Eric Phipps and Rocky Tinder moved to Portland in 2007, they dreamed of creating a massive band of friends and fellow musicians they'd played with over the years. But they soon found that the freedom and mobility of a stripped-down lineup had as much appeal for them as the gargantuan sounds that can come from a much larger band. And their duo, Wampire, was born.

"At first it was just kind of like this dream," Tinder says of the early years. Freed of the constraints of having to cart piles of gear about, Wampire grabbed two guitars and an iPod full of beats and bass lines, and set about playing venues ranging in size from the now-defunct downtown performance space Hush to someone's bathroom. "The other band played on someone's bed," Rocky recalls of that particular gig.

Now, they're primed to bring the dream full circle. After a stint as a three-piece with drummer Cyrus Lampton, the band has reconvened as a five-piece, which made its debut last Saturday at Mississippi Studios. Joining Phipps and Tinder on guitars will be Andrew Meininger on drums, Prescription Pills' Cole Browning on bass and Massive Moth's Kevin Rafn on keys. Rafn, Phipps and Tinder previously played together in Salem art/indie rock band Root Villa.

"I know how Rocky and Eric work," Rafn says. "We're all a little older and a little wiser. That's not something to be afraid of."

"Now we can do whatever . . . we want," Tinder says of the band's ability to play some of Wampire's most popular songs, which previously would have required a fuller sound than the band was able to produce live as a three-piece. They've also been hard at work on their first official album, which they'll begin shopping around by the end of the year.